Recording and metronome

Wadi

New member
Survey says, bands prefer not to work with metronome because:

3. "It kills the feel of the music."

2. "We don't want to sound like robots."

1. "What's a click?"
 
hmmm.

the thing is, 90%of the working bands use metronome, or at least, a consistent backing track.

i guess if your drummer's a walking metronome then yah, metronome robs the music of "feel". but if he auto time signature changes every 4 bars then either you get him a click or pray real hard before every gig.
 
man..those 3 lines are bullshit... i really can't do without a metronome..
i've been going for jamming sessions without my metronone..i can't use one anyway...the sounds of guitar and drums blaring everywhere covers up the click...but the point is i always stray away from my initial tempo...yah.. speeding is the cause of high death rates in singapore...i'm gonna die one day.
yea having the "click" may be very technical and u may not feel the groove...but hell...it sounds worse when ur music is not in tempo..doesn't it?
a groove is to be developed...so...slowly develop lor..
but oso don't be too reliant on a metronome..it's juz to help u sub-divide..every range of tempo..with constant use of metronome...your rhythm will get very smooth and consistant cuz u are able to feel the click inside of u... (sub-division)
don't underestimate the use of a metronome!! =P

~drummar buah~
 
Despite that, some drummers have the inborn inability to follow a metronome. This will result in recording being a real drag, causing frustration for everyone.
So sometimes it's better to let a drummer go with his own feel.
 
And clicks arent confined to drummers only, I'd say.. 8) But yeah, its so associated with the drummers because drummers are the backbone of any rock band. :evil:
 
Many great drummers play with great feel and still rely heavily on metronomes. Some people claim that to have the 'in the pocket' feel, you'll have to play AROUND the metronome and not WITH the metronome. That means the metronome acts as a guide, it's alright to stay behind the click, but mainly just play with subtle changes around the click.

I personally use it for practice (I play drums), playing behind the click, ahead the click, permute the beat based on the click, working against the click, the possibilities are endless. Look at it as both a helper to aid you and a tool to challenge you.

But admittedly, practicing with the click hasn't made me any better of a time keeper. In a band setting, I still find myself not being able to click nicely with my band members as I usually do with a metronome.
 
i've work with drummer that rely on metronomes heavily but still have the groove, so i don't think metronomes kills the groove. :) guess musicians have to work hard to get something right in the basic stage before trying to go to something harder. i mean i do work with musicians who can play very fast soloing but when come to timing..... or even something very basic like pushing the guitar strings, they're having alot of problems. :)
 
Hmm.. Anyway.. Should a guitarist follow the metronome?? If yes.. Can the guitarist skill be improved?? Jus asking anyway.. :D
 
moggie_54 said:
Hmm.. Anyway.. Should a guitarist follow the metronome?? If yes.. Can the guitarist skill be improved?? Jus asking anyway.. :D

i think all instrumentalist should learn how to follow the metronome as it actually help you to keep time. i mean that's the very basic of a song. and when everybody in a bands is comfortable about the timing, that would make your jamming sessions better even when you go recording, it would help you in a way or so.
 
Metronome

Hi...
Just some thoughts from me. Everyone has their points. Some records if you put a produced song on a click, it wont follow perfectly. I know RATM has one song that ends much faster than it started with.
Playing with a click helps you no matter what. When playing with a click, you arent supposed to be anticpating it, practice is very impt to feel comfortable.Make it a reference point.One trick that I was taught was that if you play till a certain point when the click disappears, you got it on time.Eg. If the snare and the bass drum hits on the click, it will be in the background.
Newbies have hard time cos its not natural. Well my personal attainment is to play relatively on time but still with a feel. Its possible.
Also playing with a click helps with post editing. Most of the time faster and easier too. That means what? save $$$. If a band can play a song together without that one obvious flub, by all means go for a clickless take. But if you drift all over the place eg bass and kick dont sink on time... you get what i mean i believe.
One last pointer, there are certain kinds of music that you are supposed to play forward or behind, without training on a reference click, where is ground zero?
Not inviting any violent disagreemen, just sharing my lessons learnt over the years. Just hope it be useful.

Cheers everyone, it feels like a Friday...cos I need a beer

Darren
 
eh bro u carry on drinking ur beer u not gonna be able to hear your click anymore.....heh heh heh

sian sian sian.................
~drummar buah~
 
I think that beginning drummers should practice with a metronome. So should all instrumentalists! A metronome provides a good guide for drumming. If you're drumming steadily, it's easier to get a groove going.
After time, you'll hear the beats automatically (like my guitar teacher last time who could play guitar/drums/bass/keyboard) and you can do shit like drum solos, in perfect time.

Pier.
 
wired said:
But admittedly, practicing with the click hasn't made me any better of a time keeper. In a band setting, I still find myself not being able to click nicely with my band members as I usually do with a metronome.

Playing in a band is all about interdependance. Everyone depends on each other. You have to understand this. Playing with people is different compared to playing with a mechanical metronome.

I do agree that it is good to follow a metronome for studio recordings, but it just kills live performance IMO.
 
think of the metronome as part of the band. it is an instrument, produce a tone at a fixed interval.
 
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